Monday leftovers

Talk about delusional.

Here’s what Browns quarterback Colt McCoy had to say after the Baltimore Ravens all but pistol-whipped the Browns Sunday.

“If we do everything right every play, then we can play with anybody,” he said. Yes he actually said that. And then he made a mistake. He continued to talk.

“We can move the ball down the field. Maybe we will just look at that last drive (against the Ravens when they scored their only touchdown in the 24-10 loss) and carry that on to Pittsburgh (Thursday night). Let’s remember that and then let’s move on to Pittsburgh and have a short memory.”

It looks as if all those hits the second-year quarterback has absorbed this season are beginning to take their toll on his thought processes and have scrambled his brains. Either that or he’s trying to convince himself everything is all right even though the Browns are 4-8 and sinking fast.

First of all, the Browns have played seven home games this season. And in those seven games, they have scored a grand total of eight touchdowns. That’s 28 quarters of football that have produced eight touchdowns.

Two of those TDs were scored in garbage time, when the Browns trailed hopelessly (against Tennessee and Baltimore), which means they have scored just six meaningful touchdowns in front of the home folks in seven games. Now that’s something of which to be proud . . . if you’re delusional.

What in the world does McCoy see that we all don’t see? What in the world makes him think the garbage-time touchdown against the Ravens will carry over in a positive vein against the Steelers? In Pittsburgh!!

Perhaps he should listen to teammate Scott Paxson, who spoke with much more measured reason following the game. “We got slaughtered,” said the defensive tackle. “They kicked out butt up front. We’ve just got to swallow it and move on.”

Maybe Paxson should have a sit-down with McCoy to get straightened out before the Steelers game.

It’s not as though McCoy hasn’t taken one too many hits this season. He passed that plateau a few games ago. He’s well on his way to becoming another Tim Couch or Charlie Frye, Cleveland quarterbacks who just weren’t good enough to play on a consistent basis in the National Football League.

If McCoy is the starting quarterback for the Browns next season, this franchise will have taken yet another step back toward being the team they fielded in the 1999 season when the NFL so graciously allowed Cleveland back into the league.

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From the department of absurdities comes this gem from Ravens linebacker/defensive end Terrell Suggs: “They’re a good offense. They’ve got some Pro Bowlers up front, so they’re always going to be good.”

Nice try, Terrell, nice try. One of those Pro Bowlers you mentioned was Joe Thomas, who is definitely not playing at a Pro Bowl level this season. You know Joe, don’t you? He’s the guy you blew by when you sacked McCoy midway through the third quarter.

Last time I looked, the Browns were 4-8 and your club was 9-3. There’s a very good reason for that. The Browns are every bit as bad as their record, maybe worse. And your club is every bit as good as its record, maybe better.

So cool it with the rhetoric. Just because you have to play them again in three weeks doesn’t mean you have to go overboard with the platitudes. We know – and I suspect you do, too – that when the two teams meet again, the results will be the same, if not worse.

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Ravens coach John Harbaugh must teach his men to be overly kind to the opposition. Why else would Baltimore cornerback Lardarius Webb call McCoy “a great quarterback and he will make the throw if you give him time. But our D-line was in his face all night.”

First of all, any quarterback will make throw if he has enough time. That said, at least Webb got the last part right. But great quarterback? Is he talking about the fourth-best quarterback in the four-team AFC North? Webb, by the way, took a Brad Maynard punt 68 yards for the final Ravens TD.

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More Suggs: “The game was a lot closer than the score said. These guys brawl with us. They have a Rocky Balboa kind of mentality.” And he said it with what was presumed a straight face. Who writes his stuff?

Evidently Suggs didn’t factor in the two missed field goals by Billy Cundiff and the garbage-time touchdown the Browns scored late in the game with the Ravens holding a three-touchdown lead. He probably didn’t realize he was on the field for only 22 of the 60 minutes required to play the game.

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Stream of thought: McCoy averages a pitiful 5.8 yards per pass attempt. Embarrassing for a team that runs a west coast offense. Average is around 7 yards. One of the main reasons is that Browns receivers catch most of McCoy’s passes with their feet planted firmly in the ground and are dropped in their tracks. . . . In their 12 games this season, the Browns have allowed eight running backs to run for 100 yards or more. . . . . Suggs should take reality lessons from Browns middle linebacker D’Qwell Jackson. “They just whipped us up front,” he said. “They embarrassed us. It was a slap in the face today.” . . . For opening up his mouth and caring last week, wide receiver Joshua Cribbs was rewarded with no targets against the Ravens while his teammates dropped another five passes. That prompted Shurmur to note that “you can’t drop the ball, especially when it hits on the hands.” Shades of Romeo Crennel. Shurmur nonetheless remains optimistic, saying he was “not discouraged.” Well, he should be.